It's an assuring, and in some ways annoying, trend in this year's charged sociopolitical climate that artists of all stripes are making their opinions known. From painters transforming their homes into protest-themed canvases to boozy rockers begging disaffected audiences to vote, the energy is clearly there for this election. Such kinetics ponders the question: Where has all this effort been hiding? But nobody can accuse WQUE-FM 93.3 from hiding from its responsibilities to the community it serves. And clearly no one can accuse the highly rated station of lying in its oft-repeated tagline of "New Orleans' No. 1 for hip-hop and R&B," as Q93 regularly dominates the young, black audience market. Combine those two attributes and you have a powerful force, as evidenced in the annual TEEN SUMMIT, which takes the stage Saturday afternoon at the Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena, re-scheduled from its original Sept. 18 date due to Hurricane Ivan. Now in its 12th year, Teen Summit gathers some of the biggest local and national stars in hip-hop and R&B for entertainment. The education portion comes through panel discussions with local officials about serious issues facing the station's teen audience: drugs, peer pressure, sex, crime, education and more. The station has assembled an impressive array of talent to perform. In addition to national recording artists Monica, T.I., Jarvis and J-Kwon (who have been added to the original lineup) Teen Summit will also feature, ATL, the lava-hot Juvenile, BG, Cash Money, Choppa, UNLV, and Magnolia Chop (pictured), among others. Rounding out Teen Summit's purpose will be panelists who will address the audience that include Police Chief Eddie Compass as well as representatives from Partners for Healthy Babies, Tobacco-Free Living and the Mayor's Office. Tickets to Teen Summit range from $15 to $20, and tickets from the original Sept. 18 date will be honored at the gate. Tickets are available through UNO's box office and Ticketmaster (522-5555; www.ticketmaster.com). For more information, visit www.Q93.com or call 679-7300. The doors open at 11:30 a.m. and performances are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. -- Frank Etheridge

Dixie Witch, Amplified Heat, Bleach, Gorch Fock 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 Check Point Charlie, 501 Esplanade Ave., 949-7012 How do you like your Texas metal? If you prefer a psychedelic edge, you may find Austin's Gorch Fock to your liking. With two guitars, two drum kits (in Check Point Charlie?!), bass, electronic effects and a trombone, Gorch Fock makes a big, cool noise with an avant-garde edge. Also from Austin, Amplified Heat revs up ZZ Top and gives the blues a good working-over on its first album, In for Sin (Arclight). In a similar vein, Denton's Dixie Witch revisits '70s hard-rock riffs, with drummer-singer Trinidad Leal bellowing lead vocals and drumming with equal intensity. In the middle of all of this is Bleach, three women from Okinawa, Japan, who are currently touring with Gorch Fock. Bleach's sound possesses plenty of early-90s grunge, particularly Nirvana's guitar dynamics. Call club for cover. -- Alex Rawls

Billy Cobham and Culture Mix, Clarence Johnson III & Cornerstone 9 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 19 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS From hard bop to fusion and on into the improvisational material inhabited by the jam-band scene, drummer Billy Cobham has been a foundation influence for more than 30 years. New Orleans funk is one area of Cobham's influence that has been overlooked, but the transition from the locked-in-the-pocket groove of 1960s and early '70s New Orleans R&B to the polyrhythmic fireworks display of deep-fried meta-funk that followed owes as much to Cobham's groundbreaking Spectrum album as it does to Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. Cobham has been touring alternately with an electric band to celebrate Spectrum's 30th anniversary reissue and with an acoustic group, Art of 5, featuring Donald Harrison on saxophone. Culture Mix is a melange of Cobham's affinities, but the powerful double bass drum kicks and lightning-strike snare drum press rolls that form his signature style are sure to be in evidence. $15 cover. -- John Swenson

"Return of the Swamp Things": the Radiators and the Subdudes 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday Oct. 22-23 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Mama Malone has a special place in Louisiana music history for raising the charismatic singer-guitarist frontmen for two of New Orleans' greatest rock bands, the Radiators (Dave) and the subdudes (Tommy). Sparks fly when the two share a stage, whether it's with their main groups or side projects such as Monkey Ranch or the Malone Rangers. This Tip's throwdown catches both groups in top form (the Rads also play Tulane's homecoming blast Saturday afternoon). Earlier this year, the Rads capped their 25th anniversary celebration with the release of a definitive live recording, Earth vs. the Radiators, which captures Dave's high-voltage guitar interchange with Camile Baudoin, the mind-bending musings of mystic keyboardist/vocalist Ed Volker and the rock-solid rhythm section of bassist Reggie Scanlon and drummer Frank Bua. Tommy's singing, songwriting and guitar playing are key elements in the subdudes' excellent reunion album, Miracle Mule, which also features soulful vocals from keyboardist John Magnie and drummer Steve Amedee. $20 cover. -- Swenson

Tin Men 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 Seaport Cajun Cafe, 424 Bourbon St., 568-0981 After more than 15 years entertaining audiences in New Orleans with his heartfelt songs and complex tales, Alex McMurray is moving to New York City, saying, 'Country mouse wants to go the big city. Also, I get to be that much closer to Yankee Stadium.' Fans and sycophants can see him twice more. First at the Seaport with Tin Men, where he, Washboard Chaz and Matt Perrine add a distinctly demented perspective on the tourist din of Bourbon Street. Finally, McMurray performs his solo gig Wednesday at the Circle Bar, where he has been dispensing wisdom and psychotherapy via song and commentary in weekly doses. McMurray says he¹ll be back every so often to visit and play. As for his bands, Tin Men has finished tracking its new record and 007 is still around; McMurray says that he¹ll still be playing gigs in the Northeast with the band. No cover. -- David Kunian

Richard Buckner 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 Always the media darling, never the big seller, Richard Buckner moves from record label to record label almost as much as he's roamed the country, scraping up whatever loose change he can to pay for recording expenses. And like most other alt-folk/alt-country acts, his fan base generally comes from the rock scene instead of from country fans. Who would have guessed, from all this scrounging and displacement, that the man who's lived everywhere from Austin to a Washington state cabin would happen to write some of the most lonely, sad and deeply introspective songs around? His new album, Dents and Shells (Merge), is like hearing a gravelly voiced old man singing and playing guitar in a dense fog, muffled, almost like Buckner doesn't belong anywhere anymore and has turned himself into a mere wisp. Call club for cover. -- Rob Bryant

Reds, Whites and the Blues 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21 City Park, Pavillion of the Two Sisters, 486-5900, ext. 136 Now in its third year, Reds, Whites and the Blues is generating plenty of buzz as a unique event that pleases all the senses with its mix of wine, food, music and setting. Held every year under City Park¹s charming Pavillion of the Two Sisters, the event incorporates more than 200 wines to complement cuisine from 10 of the city¹s top restaurants. Plus, the Harry Mayronne Trio with vocalists the Pfister Sisters will provide the music, while guests can enter a raffle for a 200-bottle wine collection. Reds, Whites and the Blues is sponsored by Select Brands wine brokers and Gambit Weekly, with proceeds benefiting the Big Easy Entertainment Awards Foundation for Entertainment Development and Education efforts to support local music, theater and classical performing arts through acknowledgement, grants and gifts. Tickets are $45 in advance, $50 at the door; parties of six or more get a $10 discount ($35 per ticket). -- Etheridge

Hairball Reunion and Art Auction 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 The Big Top Gallery and Event Space, 1638 Clio St., 569-2700 The 3 Ring Circus production of Hairball, a tribute to the Broadway musical Hair and other hippy-trippy vibes, may have been wildly uneven, but it was mostly wild. Who knew Norman Robinson was so ... so ... funky? And that 'fro! The whole thing was over in a flash just as word of mouth was starting to spread, so we're excited the gang is returning intact (more or less) to help kick off the 3 Ring Circus Art Education Center membership drive. The musical lineup is as impressive as Robinson's hairstyle: Tricia 'Sista Teedy' Boutté, John Boutté, Debbie Davis and Davis Rogan, to name a few. Look for lots of puppets and a nod toward the upcoming elections, just as the previous production preceded the ³shock and awe² of the Iraq invasion. An art auction fills out the evening. Tickets $25 for non-members, free for members. -- Simmons

Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21; 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 Orpheum Theater, 127 University Place, 523-6530 As scheduled, recently retired conductor and music director Klauspeter Seibel returns for these Beethoven and Blue Jeans performances this week as the LPO remains in transition phase toward a new music director. Grammy-nominated violinist Philippe Quint serves as the featured guest artist for both concerts. The concerts begin with Bedrich Smetana's ³tone poem² From Bohemia's Meadows and Forests. After Smetana's piece, the Russia-born, Julliard-trained Quint takes center stage for three selections: Camille Saint-Saens' Havanaise and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, followed by Maurice Ravel's Tzigane. The program's highlight, Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, concludes the concerts. A ³Words on Music² lecture led by Seibel precede both concerts by one hour, with a discussion of the works to be performed followed by a question-and-answer session. Tickets start at $13. -- Etheridge

Delta Moon 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 The Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen St., 948-2583 On Goin' Down South (Deep Rush), Delta Moon shows a lot of taste, adapting songs by R.L. Burnside, J.B. Lenoir and Randall Bramlett, among others, to fit the Atlanta-based band's roots rock aesthetic. Led by Tom Gray, who wrote ³Money Changes Everything² as a member of the Brains in the '80s, the band features two slide guitars over blues and boogie grooves. The most audacious move here is the arrangement of Iggy Pop's ³Nightclubbing, ³ with dobro and electric piano fills taking some of the stark, mechanical edge off Iggy's original. Gray's husky voice adds the obligatory -- for roots rock -- ragged edge, and until recently it was balanced by Gina Leigh's blues belter vocals. At the beginning of the month, though, Leigh and the band parted ways, amicably, we've been assured. Call club for cover. -- Rawls

O What a Night 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Stephen Goldring Hall, 925 Camp St., 539-9614 The Ogden Museum will hold a fundraiser for its myriad efforts to support and showcase Southern art with an event that, well, supports and showcases Southern art. While 'O What a Night' features gourmet cuisine, cocktails and lots of live music, the focus is on art, highlighted by a silent auction of work commissioned by the museum. Partner-artists from the Ogden Museum Collection were given two inspirations to draw from: either an oak tree cut in wood adapted from a landscape work by Louisiana artist Alexander John Drysdale or a fabricated piece incorporating the museum's ubiquitous 'O' logo. Local artists Adam Farrington and Roberto Ortize created the two models. The $75-per-person patron party starts at 6 p.m. with music by Dr. Michael White and catered food. The gala starts at 8 p.m. with catered food and features the Zion Harmonizers, the CK 3 and Carol Fran, with tickets $50. -- Etheridge

The Fiery Furnaces 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25 One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., 569-8361 White Stripes comparisons notwithstanding, this brother-and-sister-led experimental pop gang does actually include two other musicians. To create its sunny brand of progressive, late Beatles-influenced indie rock, the Fiery Furnaces needs a team. Its sound is chock full of interwoven odd noises and poetically cryptic lyrics with lots of repetition orbiting loosely around a blues-rock base. The eclectic second album, Blueberry Boat (Rough Trade), wanders further into the art-rock zone with meandering organ melodies and strange electronic noises overlaid with singer Eleanor Friedberger's slightly nerve-wracking vocal style -- somewhat like Suicide by way of the Muppets. The sweet pop sensibility combined with loony organ and synthesizer tangents could be likened to a very attractive but obviously crazy girl -- ultimately more compelling than frightening. Opening up are local goth-influenced post-punkers the Public, who adds a harder edge to lush Brit-pop sensibilities. Tickets $7. -- Alison Fensterstock

"Around the World ... Or Bust!" 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17; open run One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., 606-9903 There was no one thing that made the Shim Sham Club the hippest place in the French Quarter, but if there was one thing that connected the club's name with the Quarter's bawdier times, it was the evolution (and rotation) of retro burlesque productions (the Shim Shamettes, the Shim Sham Revue, the Southern JezeBelles, etc.). The JezeBelles were truly hitting their stride when the club shut down, which is yet another reason to get excited about their return to familiar territory, now called One Eyed Jacks, of course. Many familiar faces return, and this sextet (no pun intended) of dancers features returning members and audition winners. Other performers include house diva Marcy Hesseling, house band the Bumpin' Grinders (led by Matt Perrine) and returning MC Danny Martini (aka Flynn De Marco). Tickets $18 advance, $20 day of show; for more info visit www.southernjezebelles.com. -- David Lee Simmons

"Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History" lecture v Loyola University, Nunemaker Auditorium, 865-2567 In what could serve as an academic take on the belief and refrain that 'wild women don't get the blues,' Loyola University's Biever Guest Lecture Series presents 'Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History.' Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, an American history professor and director of the Charles Warren Center at Harvard University, delivers her lecture with analysis of the idea that only the non-conformists among women make the history books. Ulrich's packed resume shows she's done more than her share of homework on the subject. Her book, A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991. Ulrich has also served as a MacArthur Fellow, worked on a PBS-aired documentary film based on A Midwife's Tale and written numerous books, essays and articles. The lecture is free and open to the public. -- Etheridge

Shrines and Images of Southeast Asia and Tibet Through October Latitudes, 3701 Magazine St., 895-9880 A New York Times art critic recently noted that "figurative sculpture had been around for a while by the time the image of the seated meditating Buddha evolved in India sometime in the first or second century. Yet it seems likely that the sense of alert mindfulness and open generosity emanating from Buddhist figures was something of a departure: a new human consciousness." Good point. While much Western art was about the evolution of realism and abstraction, East Asian spiritual art traditionally employed both for its own explorations of the path of higher consciousness: the transcendental awareness of an infinitely deeper reality that lies beyond surface appearances. The best of these 18th, 19th and 20th century icons at Latitudes subtly convey such sensibilities, in figures that reveal an aura of enlivened enlightenment emanating from within and without. -- D. Eric Bookhardt